


Dwarfs Sitting on the Shoulders of Giants

by MegaWallflower



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Cute Kids, M/M, Nostalgia, Photography, Piggyback Rides, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24866911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaWallflower/pseuds/MegaWallflower
Summary: Houki wants to ride on Metal’s back, because Kakashi got to ride on Guy’s. It’s an important part of any eternal rivalry.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy, Maito Gai | Might Guy/Sukea, Metal Lee & Sukea, Metal Lee & Taketori Houki, Sukea & Taketori Houki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 117





	Dwarfs Sitting on the Shoulders of Giants

Metal jogged around the park, taking his time and going the long way around to avoid any crowds. He and his father trained here so often that it was practically muscle memory by now. Metal could easily race all around the perimeter with his eyes closed and not trip up at all, as long as no one distracted him.

Just the thought of it must have jinxed him, because at that very moment, he heard a set of loud footsteps coming from behind him, stomping straight in his direction.

Metal tensed anxiously, taking a step to the side and to let whoever it was get past without bumping into them or blocking their way. As long as he focused on his training, he could kill two birds with one stone and learn to get less anxious around people in public, too. And the easiest way to deal with people without getting anxious was by avoiding people.

It seemed like a reasonable plan, until those footsteps stopped, replaced by a loud thump against the ground, and then a whoosh. He felt a large mass collide into his back, hands on his shoulders and a sudden force downward, and then—

Metal pitched forward with a mis-stepped stumble and yelped loudly in surprise as he desperately tried to balance himself with the sudden weight clinging to his back.

In a moment of pure panic, fueled by his instinctual fight-or-fight instincts, he whirled himself around harshly, trying desperately to throw the intruder off his back. It didn’t work, but a round of unmistakable giggles erupting from the added mass of weight helped calm his overactive heart rate.

“Metal!”

He knew that voice. “H-Houki?!” Metal relaxed a bit and shifted him a little higher so he could hold onto Houki’s legs and get him into a more stable position. He placed his hands firmly on Houki’s thighs and they readjusted while he spun them around much more slowly this time, earning a thrilled giggle from his so-called rival. “I didn’t think I’d run into you here, Rival!”

Metal decided to just go along with it, in the true spirit of rivals. It was just Houki being his usual, excitable self. Maybe this was a challenge, too. Or maybe he was helping by adding extra weight to Metal’s training. Or maybe… Metal really wasn’t getting anywhere with these guesses. Houki was a wildcard. A slightly bossy wildcard. But still a good-natured kid, and more importantly, Metal’s friend.

After a beat of silence, Metal finally asked, “So, um… why are you on my back?”

There was a small giggle, so quiet that Metal could only feel it in the breath that fanned out against his skin. It took a few more steps and some more seconds of giggling for Houki to answer him. “Because you’re my rival, of course!”

“Oh… That… makes sense?” Metal offered him a confused smile. There was another giggle, still barely audible, and still obviously not answering his question. Houki’s answer was so full of confidence, Metal wondered if he was the weird one for not understanding how those two things were related.

“Okay, fine. I’ll show you.” Houki reached into his pocket and revealed a brand-new X-card. “Take a look at this!” He shoved the card right in front of Metal’s face, and Metal was so thankful that muscle memory kept him from tripping over his own feet in surprise and sending them both faceplanting to the hard ground.

It was difficult for his eyes to focus on the blurry mess of colors and squiggles and glittery sparkles held so close to his eyes, but he could finally make out an image after several seconds of acclimating.

Metal’s first thought was that this was an SSR+ card that he had never seen before. It must have been newly released in the latest pack. Metal’s second thought was that he recognized the people on the card without even reading the name. “Is that… Kakashi-sensei? Riding Guy-sensei?”

He could feel Houki bounce as he nodded vigorously. It was definitely Kakashi and Guy, same as ever, but Guy was standing on two legs, and Kakashi was sitting on his back, looking strangely exhausted and despondent, which was strange, since he always looked so happy and carefree whenever Metal saw him with Guy.

“Doesn’t Lord Sixth look so cool? Just like he always does!” Houki shook the card expectantly, interrupting Metal’s train of thought yet again and swinging his legs.

Metal squinted his eyes at the picture. Metal couldn’t tell if Kakashi was conscious or not. “Uh… uh-huh… He’s very cool.”

“He’s coolest!” Metal was going to argue that Guy was still cooler, but Houki continued before he could cut in. “So! Do you get it now? It’s all a part of rivalry! Mastering this gets me one step closer to being as cool as Lord Sixth is!” Houki gushed. “Lord Sixth’s rival used to carry him around on his back, just like this! I’ve read about it! Guy could still charge at full speed, even with Lord Sixth on his back. He could hold on to Guy no matter what!”

“Guy-sensei really used to do this?” Metal stared at the playing card again. That grin was definitely Guy, he looked exactly the same back then as he did now. And piggybacks sounded like something he would do, if he could do them. It was just something Metal tried not to think about or mention, since he didn’t want to ask any awkward questions about Guy’s leg.

Metal had been too nervous to ask about, but he’d always wondered what sorts of things Guy had done back when he could walk on two feet. Most of the things Metal could think of that would seem to take two legs, he had still seen Guy do. Fighting, kicking, racing, dancing…

But now that he thought about it, piggybacks were something Guy must have given up a long time ago. Metal wondered how he felt about it. He never saw Guy be anything but optimistic and determined, the exact opposite of Metal himself.

“I never thought that riding on someone could be cool,” Houki continued, still swinging back and forth excitedly, like Metal was some sort of playground toy. Metal involuntarily swayed with him. “But then I imagined Lord Sixth doing it, and I think he’d still manage to look strong and dignified! Like a powerful warrior riding into battle! I bet they did it as some sort of combination attack between the two of them!”

“Well… If Guy-sensei could do it, I can, too. It’s training.”

Houki beamed and snuggled his face close to Metal. “That’s the spirit! That’s my rival!”

A flash of light went off, and Metal stumbled forward from the shock. He jumped, rolled, and landed on his feet in an anxious attempt to regain his footing, all but forgetting he had a passenger on his back.

Houki somehow kept himself from being catapulted off, arms around Metal’s neck and legs around his waist as he held on tight, despite Metal ending up hunched over awkwardly. “I almost died!” Houki gasped out.

“W-What was that? A spy?! Or a jutsu? Or—”

Houki held up a hand to silence Metal, then pointed at the source of the flash. “Ah-ha! Culprit spotted at 9 o’clock!”

“Ah. Oh, no.” The fancy camera lowered, and behind it was a familiar face with kind grey eyes and purple cheek marks. “I’ve been caught red-handed.”

Metal’s face flushed bright red. “A-a camera? That’s even worse!” He felt the sudden urge to jump into a tree or burrow into a hole just so he could hide from the utter embarrassment of the entire situation, but this time he stopped himself when he remembered that Houki was still on his back.

“Hey, you’re that reporter again! Sukea!” Houki announced.

“—The _reporter_?!” Metal squeaked.

“Sorry, sorry! That was rude of me!” Sukea grinned sheepishly, camera swinging on the strap around his neck as he walked up to the two boys.

“It sure was! You almost made us trip!” Houki scolded. “What are you taking pictures for this time?”

“I couldn’t help it. That was such a nostalgic sight, my hand was moving to snap the shot before I even thought about it.” And honestly, Sukea knew how anxious Metal could be. Before Metal could get too anxious and run away, he just had to take the shutter off the camera lens and snap a shot. Guy would probably never forgive him if he had missed the chance to immortalize a moment as adorable as that. He had his excuse ready, “The new generation of genin is so fascinating. As a reporter, sometimes you have to act fast to get a scoop or you miss it completely. It’s like a reflex to me. If I see something that interesting, I just have to capture it.”

“As expected of an ex-Anbu agent…” Metal mumbled in awe.

“How’s it nostalgic for _you_ , though?” Houki arched his visible eyebrow at Sukea curiously.

Without much thought, Sukea answered, “It really brings back memories. Guy would toss me onto his back like that all the time. Holding onto him was never easy, but I have to admit, it was always sort of fun… He was a bumpy ride, but he was never boring. I could always trust him to be my legs when my body wouldn’t move for me. He was always reliable and warm…” His smile softened fondly. “He’s nice, isn’t he?”

“…Wait, Guy-sensei gave _you_ piggyback rides?” Houki asked.

Metal went pale, and Houki had to hold on tighter as he started trembling. “A-are you trying to steal my grandpa from my other grandpa?!”

Sukea finally realized the mistake in his answer. He’d been so caught up reminiscing about Guy, he forgot himself. He inwardly cursed himself for his forwardness but pressed on. “—Not half as much as Kakashi! I could never compare! He let Kakashi ride him all the time!”

Sukea almost backtracked again to fix that awkward wording, but neither of the kids had noticed it, and trying to fix it would only draw attention to it. He just cleared his throat and pretended not to notice the stares he was getting from Houki and Metal, who were probably starting to think he was nuts by now.

“…Do you think Kakashi-sensei is sad that Guy-sensei can’t do it anymore?” Metal asked abruptly.

Sukea would accept any change in subject at this point. “Hm?”

“Um… I mean… He probably didn’t even know that the last piggyback ride he ever got from Guy-sensei was going to be the last. Guy-sensei said he doesn’t have any regrets, but Kakashi-sensei… I wonder if he thinks things like… ‘I should have held on a little longer that last time’ or ‘I should have hugged him a little tighter’… And then gets sad…?”

Sukea blinked. “That’s…”

Houki shook Metal by his shoulders. “Metal, Lord Sixth would never think things like that! Lord Sixth is all about looking toward the future! Lord Sixth was by Guy-sensei’s side and made sure that he made it back so they could still do other rival things! It’s thanks to Lord Sixth that they made it back together! There’s no way he isn’t happy!”

That was a more confident answer than Kakashi himself could have given. Sukea chuckled. It was nice to be that admired. “I think Houki’s right. Kakashi’s fine. He got to ride on Guy’s back hundreds of times over the years, and now, he gets to ride in his lap. He can still give Guy rides, too. It was never just about the rides, though. It’s more about being so close to him. As long as they’re both alive, Kakashi will never stop leaning on Guy.”

Kakashi would do anything to heal Guy, but it wasn’t because there was anything he missed. They were enjoying things in life that they’d never gotten the chance to enjoy before. He just hated the pain it caused Guy.

He pushed the thought out of his mind and focused his attention on this moment, on these two, and this little scene that would definitely put a smile on Guy’s face when he saw it. “But nostalgia’s always nice! I think Kakashi and Guy would both be thrilled just to see the legacy of their legendary piggyback rides lives on in another generation of rivals. Can I take a proper picture of you to give it to him? I’m sure Kakashi will be thrilled.” Sukea held his camera tightly, anticipating the kid’s polite rejection.

Instead of apprehensive, Metal looked pensive. “Of us?” 

“Yeah?” 

A beat of silences passed between the three as Metal considered it.

“You want a picture of us...” Metal echoed again. 

“A few, if you don’t mind.” 

Metal exchanged a confused glance with Houki, but after a minute, the two of them gave Sukea a slight nod. “For Kakashi-sensei!” “For Lord Sixth!” They cheered simultaneously.

His heart clenched. Sukea almost thanked them for caring so much about him, but he actually managed to catch himself before making a fool of himself again this time. Instead, Sukea rushed to get a good angle, kneeling on one knee in front of them and fiddling with his camera to get the perfect shot. “Great! Hold that pose.”

He snapped a quick picture. Three swift clicks of his shutter, and Sukea felt a bubble of laughter try to come out as he checked the preview window of his camera.

Houki was grinning triumphantly back at him, while Metal froze up stiffly, looking pale and close to fainting, and even closer to tears.

When Kakashi had ridden on Guy’s back, the expressions had been exactly swapped. Sukea had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying something else that would give away his whole charade again.

Guy was going to flip over how sappy their little fanboys were. He was going to be proudly beaming the entire time he told him about this. He was probably going get the photo developed and hang it on their fridge, and Metal would get embarrassed at it every time he came to see them.

It was hard for Kakashi to miss the things they used to have when their futures were this bright.


End file.
